Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 takeaways from win over Raptors

The Minnesota Timberwolves evened their Summer League record at 1-1 with a win over the Toronto Raptors, led by second-round pick Keita Bates-Diop.

The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their Summer League opener on Friday night with a loss to the Denver Nuggets that featured inefficient performances from many of their key players, including draft picks Josh Okogie and Keita Bates-Diop. But on Sunday, one showed incremental improvement while the other broke out.

It was a game that was close throughout and featured an ugly stretch of shooting at the start of the tilt; the Wolves didn’t make their first field goal until almost seven minutes into the first quarter.

But down the stretch, Bates-Diop, Okogie, and Jonathan Stark spurred the Wolves to pull away from their opponents.

Let’s dive into three takeaways from the game.

1. Keita Bates-Diop is ready to play the real games

Keita Bates-Diop is ready and prepared for the real thing, folks. No more Summer League needed.

In his second summer game, Bates-Diop dropped 24 points on 7-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He added 11 rebounds, two blocks, two assists, and a steal.

KBD’s performance was highlighted by defense, including a steal that led to an assist and a bucket on the other end on a fastrbreak, and this block and 3-pointer from the corner on the other end.

Bates-Diop showed the ability to use his frame and positioning on the defensive end of the floor to square-up and keep his opponent in front of him. He somehow didn’t commit a single foul on the afternoon, keeping his hands back until the last possible moment to swipe for the steal or block.

It’s exactly the switchability and positional flexibility that the Timberwolves were looking for this offseason, and if they land it from a guy making under a million bucks this season, well, they’ll take it.

On offense, Bates-Diop again looked smooth, hitting a couple of pull-up jumpers off the dribble and getting the rim with consistency.

It’s hard to imagine Bates-Diop playing a much better game, and he showed out in all of the areas that the Wolves will need him to excel in if he’s going to receive regular playing time throughout the season.